Out past Dalby into the bush blocks. Tara and the surrounding subdivisions are unlike anywhere else on the Downs — sandy country, cypress and scrub, and a lot of small holdings with no shed, no power connection and no intention of getting either.
Around Tara it's mostly everything, frankly — on an off-grid block a container is often the only lockable structure there is, holding tools, water gear, solar equipment, building materials and whatever's being slowly turned into a house. Whatever's on your list, the quote covers the unit and the cartage together, and we'll say up front which grade suits the job rather than upselling the top one.
| Container | Used from | New from |
|---|---|---|
| 10ft Containers | $4,350 | $6,400 |
| 20ft Containers | $2,200 | $3,300 |
| 40ft Containers | $2,600 | $5,500 |
Guide pricing only, ex GST — what you pay delivered depends on where you are and what's in the yard that week. Ring (07) 4516 5999 and we'll give you a real number, not a range. We quote the truck to Tara at the same time as the box, so there's no second invoice.
The bush block pattern out here is well established: buy the land, put up something lockable, then work on the rest over years. A container is the natural first structure. It arrives complete, it doesn't need a slab, it doesn't need power, and it's secure the day it lands.
Two units at right angles with a roof span between them is a very old and very good idea, and we sell a lot of pairs to people doing exactly that. If that's the plan, buy both at once — the freight on one delivery of two is a lot less than two deliveries of one.
A few things that come up constantly with off-grid buyers out here. Heat: a sealed steel box in a Tara summer is brutal inside, so vents at both ends are close to essential, and if anything sensitive is going in it, plan for shade rather than hoping. Batteries and anything with rubber or adhesive in it will not thank you for a season of that.
Fire is the other one. Cypress country burns, and a container is not a fire-proof safe — the seals, the paint and anything against the walls will all suffer, and heat conducts straight through steel. Clear the ground around it properly and don't stack timber or fuel against the sides. It's still far better than a tarp and a shipping pallet, which is what it's usually replacing.
The sandy soil out here behaves the opposite way to Downs black soil: it drains fast and it holds up after rain far better, which is genuinely useful. What it does instead is get soft and loose in the dry, and a truck can dig in on a sandy track that looks perfectly solid. The bigger issue is usually the tracks themselves — many of the block roads are unformed, narrow and lined with cypress that has never been cut back to truck height. Nothing about that stops a delivery, but it does change which truck we send, so tell us what the approach is like.
Everywhere else the checklist is identical: can the surface take the weight, is there length to line the vehicle up, and is anything hanging above the spot. Photographs answer all three at once — see our access rundown.
Almost always, but the approach decides the truck. Unformed block roads, low branches and soft sandy patches are the three things we ask about. Describe the last kilometre when you enquire and we'll match the right vehicle to it.
Neither. A container sits on blocks, sleepers or pavers under the four corner castings and needs nothing connected to it. That's exactly why it's the first thing most people put on an off-grid block.
Tell us what's going in it and where it's going — you'll get one number, not a range.